The present invention is directed to a water treatment unit, and more particularly, to a water treatment unit for treating water in a water reservoir such as a coffee maker or water treatment container.
Water treatment systems have been employed in the past for the treatment of water in coffee makers and containers for holding and dispensing the treated water to remove various impurities and contaminants from the water. These systems have included, for example, water treatment units containing particulate activated granular carbon for the removal of various contaminants including odors, undesirable flavors and the like. In these prior units the particulate granulated carbon is positioned in the housing of the water treatment unit in the form of a bed, and the water to be treated flows vertically through the bed by gravity until all of the water which is to be treated has been treated.
In the case of a coffee maker, the typical coffee maker includes a reservoir or compartment into which the untreated water is poured in a volume amount which approximates the volume of coffee which is to be brewed in that batch. The water treatment unit in such coffee makers is typically located at the bottom of the untreated water compartment, and an additional compartment or reservoir is positioned beneath the water treatment unit and untreated water reservoir to accumulate sufficient treated water before any water is heated and transmitted to the brewing compartment which contains the filter and the ground coffee for brewing the batch of coffee. The treated water reservoir is of considerable size and is necessitated by the fact that the flow rate and pressure drop across the vertical flow water treatment media bed in the water treatment unit results in the treatment being rather slow and much slower than the rate at which the water can be processed in the brewing compartment.
In the case of container water treatment systems for the treatment, holding and dispensing of treated water for ongoing use, such as a pitcher or other container for holding in a kitchen refrigerator, untreated and treated reservoirs or compartments are also typically provided. In these container treatment systems the water treatment unit is typically positioned in the bottom of the untreated water compartment so that the water flows vertically by gravity down through the unit and its particulate activated carbon granular treatment bed. The water drains from the untreated water compartment through the unit and its bed of water treatment medium, and to the treated water compartment where the treated water is held for future use and dispensing as needed. In these systems the untreated and treated water compartments are approximately similar in volumetric capacity because, due to the relativity high pressure drop and slow rate of flow through the water treatment bed, the upper unfiltered water compartment must approximate the size of the lower treated water compartment to permit the user to simply add the amount of water to be treated to the untreated water compartment in one fast pour without having to wait for the water to pass through the treatment unit.
It would be desirable if at least one of these untreated or treated water reservoirs or compartments could be substantially reduced in size or eliminated altogether. This would result in a substantial reduction in the size of such coffee makers or container treatment systems without a reduction in the capacity. In an attempt to realize this result in a prior coffee maker system, the treated water reservoir or compartment has been substantially reduced in size by bypassing some of the untreated water around the water treatment unit and passing it directly to the brewing compartment. This bypassed water together with the flow through the treatment unit is sufficient to satisfy the brewing rate without the need for a treated water reservoir of substantive size. However, it has the disadvantage that a substantial portion of the water in the final brewed product is untreated.
In the present invention such reduction in size and/or elimination of reservoirs or compartments is possible without a sacrifice of treatment quality in the final product because the water treatment unit of the present invention enjoys a substantially reduced pressure drop and substantially increased flow rate through the treatment unit which make possible a flow rate through the water treatment unit which is extremely high.
In the present invention multi-treatment media and/or multi-stages may also be accommodated in the water treatment unit and these media may be separated from each other to avoid intermingling with each other without a sacrifice in the high flow rate of the water. Moreover, in the water treatment unit of the present invention the distance of flow through a given media is always the same which results in a uniform high flow rate and minimum pressure drop, and channeling in the treatment media is substantially reduced if not eliminated all together. Also, in the preferred unit of the present invention partially treated water may be thoroughly intermixed following initial treatment and before final polishing to improve the uniformity and quality of the final treated water.
In one principal aspect of the present invention, a water treatment unit comprises a housing having transverse dimensions and a height, with the transverse dimensions being substantially greater than the height of the housing. A substantially vertical outer wall extends around and defines the perimeter of the housing, and at least one substantially vertical inner wall in the housing is spaced from the outer wall to define a chamber between the inner and outer walls. A plurality of openings are in the outer and inner walls and are constructed and arranged to direct water to flow in a substantially transverse direction through the chamber. A bottom wall on the housing closes the bottom of the housing at least at the chamber between the inner and outer walls, a top wall closes the top of the housing and the chamber between the inner and outer walls, and a discharge from the housing is located within the inner wall. A finely divided water treatment medium is positioned in the chamber so that the water flows transversely through the finely divided medium.
In another principal aspect of the present invention, at least two inner walls are in the housing, one of the inner walls and the outer wall define a first chamber therebetween, the two inner walls define a second chamber therebetween, and the second inner wall defines a third chamber. Particulate media is located in at least the first and second chambers, and a plurality of openings in each of the walls permits water to flow in a substantially transverse direction through the first and second chambers and the particulate media therein and into the third chamber.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the third chamber is substantially devoid of water treatment media and the water which has flowed transversely through the media in the first and second chambers is mixed in the third chamber.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the housing includes a vent which communicates with the third chamber to vent air.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, a second housing depends downwardly from the first housing and defines a chamber in the discharge, the second housing having a discharge to discharge the water from the chamber in the second housing.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the particulate water treatment media in the first and second chambers comprises one or more of a finely divided metal and/or carbon.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the chamber of the second housing also contains a particulate water treatment medium, and the particulate water treatment medium in the chamber of the second housing comprises a finely divided carbon or a finely divided resin.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the bottom wall of the housing also closes the first mentioned housing to the chamber in the second housing, the bottom wall having first and second openings therein, the first opening communicating with the chamber in the second housing and the second opening bypassing the chamber in the second housing. A valve is operable to a first position for opening the first opening and blocking the second opening, and to a second position for opening the second opening and blocking the first opening.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, a coffee maker comprises a reservoir for containing a volume of untreated water sufficient to brew a similar desired volume of coffee, and a brewing compartment, wherein the improvement comprises the aforementioned water treatment unit positioned in the bottom of the reservoir and discharging the water treated by the unit directly to the brewing compartment without any substantial holding of the treated water after treatment by the water treatment unit and before discharge to the brewing compartment.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, a container for treating and holding water comprises an untreated water reservoir for receiving untreated water, and the untreated water reservoir includes an inlet for receiving untreated water to be treated. The aforementioned water treatment unit is positioned in the bottom of the untreated water reservoir and receives untreated water therefrom to treat the untreated water. A treated water reservoir receives the water which has been treated by the water treatment unit, and the treated water reservoir is substantially larger in volume than the untreated water reservoir.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.